Medical Illustration: Discovering and Comprehending Scientific Concepts Through Art

Background. Scientific illustrations and diagrams have been used for thousands of years to portray and relay information. As the different fields of science, technology, engineering and math progressed, diagrams evolved along with the scientific concepts they illustrated. Yet, there is no set standard for creating a scientific diagram or illustration. The field is continually evolving and growing, utilizing multiple dimensions including digital interfaces and virtual reality. Aims. To analyze the research on the use and effectiveness of different multimedia platforms for learning and to examine the effectiveness of learning outcomes using two dimensional vs three dimensional models. A specific focus was placed on level of detail and the role of color in medical diagrams. Another aim of this project was to develop novel medical illustrations and scientific diagrams based on these findings. Method. A literature search from January 1965 to January 2021 was conducted using the key words, scientific diagram, medical illustration, details, engagement, color, dimensions, models, learning, neuroscience, memory, among others. Databases and books from Union College\u27s Schaffer library were utilized. Findings. There was some evidence that the different components that make up scientific diagrams may influence learning outcomes. For example, some colors (i.e. warm) may facilitate learning. The value in the level of detail included in a diagram seems dependent on multiple factors such as subject material, intended audience etc., . It has been suggested that certain artistic styles of illustrations better facilitate learning over others (i.e. cartoons better facilitate learning of medical information over anatomical and CT scan imaging), but the research conducted in the field was limited by inconsistent methodologies across studies. Conclusions. Scientific illustration has real world implications given its use in educating the medical professionals and leaders in STEM fields of tomorrow, yet research on the effectiveness of learning aids is limited. Further research is needed to identify how different sensory information might enhance learning, especially as more digital interface platforms, learning aids, and virtual reality techniques are being developed

Integrated approach for accurate localization of optic disc and macula

The location of three main anatomical structures in the retina namely the optic disc, the vascular arch, and the macula is significant for the analysis of retinal images. Presented here is a novel method that uses an integrated approach to automatically localize the optic disc and the macula with very high accuracy even in the presence of confounders such as lens artifacts, glare, bright pathologies and acquisition variations such as non-uniform illumination, blur and poor contrast. Evaluated on a collective set of 579 diverse pathological images from various publicly available datasets, our method achieves sensitivity > 99% and normalized localization error < 5% for optic disc and macula localization

Stonewall Jackson Resort Master Plan: An ecological model for stormwater management that engages and educates through context sensitive low-impact development strategies

Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park sits in central West Virginia in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. The dammed lake and state park opened to the public over two decades ago and development within the property continues today. The attention to stormwater management, vegetation, and public awareness of their connection to the natural environment become an integral component to an ecologically sustainable landscape. This project focuses on the eighteen acres surrounding the lodge buildings on a lakefront peninsula. The design responded to a thorough analysis and seeks to enhance the visitor\u27s experience through use of new program elements, circulation patterns, vegetation, and stormwater management. Educational and interpretive opportunities considering stormwater management, native vegetation communities, and diverse habitats create a laboratory environment for visitors and state park programs. Stormwater management systems are designed using the Chesapeake Stormwater Network and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methods. Renderings support the explanations of each space throughout the site, completing the picture of the proposed designs

Content Format and Quality of Experience in Virtual Reality

In this paper, we investigate three forms of virtual reality content production and consumption. Namely, 360 stereoscopic video, the combination of a 3D environment with a video billboard for dynamic elements, and a full 3D rendered scene. On one hand, video based techniques facilitate the acquisition of content, but they can limit the experience of the user since the content is captured from a fixed point of view. On the other hand, 3D content allows for point of view translation, but real-time photorealistic rendering is not trivial and comes at high production and processing costs. We also compare the two extremes with an approach that combines dynamic video elements with a 3D virtual environment. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these systems, and present the result of a user study with 24 participants. In the study, we evaluated the quality of experience, including presence, simulation sickness and participants' assessment of content quality, of three versions of a cinematic segment with two actors. We found that, in this context, mixing video and 3D content produced the best experience.Comment: 25 page

BIM Application for Sustainable Teaching Environment and Solutions in the Context of COVID-19

COVID-19 had a major impact on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and it produced a crisis in Goal 4, which is aimed at ensuring quality education, among others. In this work, a university experience that aims to solve the challenges in this complicated context by means of BIM technology is presented. On the one hand, this study focuses on the development of teaching by means of active methodologies based on real projects through BIM models, using the latest information and communication technologies, and on the other hand, it focuses on the management of the education center by means of a virtual BIM building. This allowed for, among other things, tackling the sustainable management of the measures required to prevent contagion. These BIM models made it possible, for example, to optimize spaces while maintaining social distances between occupants, to simulate the best options for classroom ventilation, and to optimize special cleaning and disinfection resources. Students who developed their learning through these BIM virtual models were not restricted in receiving online classes; they learned to collaborate from anywhere in the world, acquiring skills that allow them to effectively face real situations that are as complicated as COVID-19

Managing toxicities associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: consensus recommendations from the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Toxicity Management Working Group.

Cancer immunotherapy has transformed the treatment of cancer. However, increasing use of immune-based therapies, including the widely used class of agents known as immune checkpoint inhibitors, has exposed a discrete group of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Many of these are driven by the same immunologic mechanisms responsible for the drugs\u27 therapeutic effects, namely blockade of inhibitory mechanisms that suppress the immune system and protect body tissues from an unconstrained acute or chronic immune response. Skin, gut, endocrine, lung and musculoskeletal irAEs are relatively common, whereas cardiovascular, hematologic, renal, neurologic and ophthalmologic irAEs occur much less frequently. The majority of irAEs are mild to moderate in severity; however, serious and occasionally life-threatening irAEs are reported in the literature, and treatment-related deaths occur in up to 2% of patients, varying by ICI. Immunotherapy-related irAEs typically have a delayed onset and prolonged duration compared to adverse events from chemotherapy, and effective management depends on early recognition and prompt intervention with immune suppression and/or immunomodulatory strategies. There is an urgent need for multidisciplinary guidance reflecting broad-based perspectives on how to recognize, report and manage organ-specific toxicities until evidence-based data are available to inform clinical decision-making. The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) established a multidisciplinary Toxicity Management Working Group, which met for a full-day workshop to develop recommendations to standardize management of irAEs. Here we present their consensus recommendations on managing toxicities associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy